


Something Sweeter

by watermelonriddles



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: F/M, Minor Injuries, Soft Rio (Good Girls)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:34:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23640922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watermelonriddles/pseuds/watermelonriddles
Summary: “What you doing?”“Helping you inside,” [Beth] said as if it were obvious.[Rio] scoffed. “I can walk just fine.”“You can barely stand.” Beth fixed him with the same look she gave her kids when they didn’t do as they were told despite being asked three times.She could see the amusement in his eyes and she was positive that if he had the energy, he would have laughed. “Mama, I got this.”“And I’ve got you,” she said softly. “Now come on."
Relationships: Beth Boland/Rio
Comments: 18
Kudos: 190





	Something Sweeter

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, I'm just trying to clear out my W.I.P folder, haha.
> 
> This was originally started back when season 2 was airing but that being said, there are no specific canon events (or details) mentioned so really, this piece just exists in its own little pocket of time :)

Beth blinked against the darkness. Everything was quiet now but she could have sworn she heard some light tapping on the french doors. It was almost four in the morning and it didn’t sit quite right with her, especially when no one she knew would be around to disturb her at such an hour. Sitting up in bed, she listened out but no more sounds came. Slowly climbing out of bed, she reached down to grab the baseball bat she had stashed there. She gripped it tightly and held it up, ready to swing at anyone who might be there.

Once she was close enough, she reached over and unlocked the door before snapping her hand back and gripping the bat again with both hands. After a few moments, when nothing happened, she reached out again and slowly opened it up to reveal Rio. She let out a breath at the sight of him and lowered the bat.

“You almost gave me a heart attack,” she hissed. “It’s too early for this shit!”

Rio chuckled but it sounded off. It wasn’t as loud as usual and was short-lived. Beth finally looked him over then. He had his hood up, properly this time, and he was leaning against the house for support. She couldn’t see anything visibly wrong with him but she knew.

“You gonna let me in or leave me standing out here?”

“I wouldn’t call that standing,” she remarked.

Beth put the bat down on the nearby chair and stepped outside to help him. She put herself against his side and wrapped an arm around his waist. When he didn’t move, she put his arm around her shoulders but when she tugged on him to lean on her, he refused.

“What you doing?”

“Helping you inside,” she said as if it were obvious.

He scoffed. “I can walk just fine.”

“You can barely stand.” Beth fixed him with the same look she gave her kids when they didn’t do as they were told despite being asked three times.

She could see the amusement in his eyes and she was positive that if he had the energy, he would have laughed. “Mama, I got this.”

“And I’ve got you,” she said softly. “Now come on.”

When it became clear that she wasn’t about to back down, Rio huffed and pushed off the house a little. He swayed slightly and fell into her. Luckily, they were able to regain their balance although for a minute it seemed like Beth might buckle under him. It was her turn to huff but she pushed forward and guided him into her bedroom.

It took some effort — Rio wasn’t much better than dead weight — but they made it to her bed. She helped him to sit down at the head of it. There was some manoeuvring and a lot of Rio leaning onto Beth while she reached around to adjust the pillows but eventually he was sat back against the headboard with his legs stretched out in front of him.

Beth took a moment to remove his shoes before went around to the other side and climbed onto the bed. She knelt beside him and gently placed the back of her hand to his forehead. No temperature. Good. She ignored the way he raised a brow.

“What happened?”

He gave a pretty pathetic looking shrug. “Nothing.”

Considering how often he kept things from her, Beth decided to check him over. She placed her hands on his chest and point-blank refused to look at his face as she gently felt down his sides as well as over his chest and stomach. He didn’t flinch which was a positive but just as she went to pull away, she accidentally nudged his arm and he hissed.

Without even asking, she grabbed his hand and slowly edged his sleeve up. She could see the trickles of blood that had run down his arm. There wasn’t a lot of it but still enough for concern. She hadn’t seen him in a couple of weeks and it was just like him to rock up at hers bleeding.

“Where have you been?” Beth asked as she helped him out of his hoodie.

“Around.”

“Fine but I’m gonna ask again and I want an answer,” Beth said, fixing him with a stern look. “What happened?”

“Business,” he finally said. “Bullet grazed my arm.”

“Christ,” Beth muttered.

There was a make-shift bandage wrapped around the top of his arm. The bandage itself was relatively clean but it hadn’t been secured properly enough and blood had seeped out from underneath. 

“I’ll be right back.”

As she climbed off the bed, she didn’t bother to tell him not to move, it didn’t look like he could do much of anything anyway. Moving as quickly as possible, she grabbed two face cloths and the first aid box from under the sink.

Rio watched her curiously as she came to stand beside the bed and leaned over him a little to put everything down on the other side. “You’re gonna patch me up?”

“I’m sure watching you bleed all over my bed would be fun but I feel like being a bit of a buzz kill right now.”

“Hilarious,” he mumbled.

Carefully, Beth peeled the old bandage away and tossed it into the trash. She pressed the face cloth against his arm. It was just as she was about to ask him to hold pressure that she noticed his eyes were starting to droop.

“When was the last time you slept?”

“Hmm?” Rio shook his head a little in an attempt to make himself more alert. “Can’t remember.”

“What about food? A shower?”

“Trying to tell me something, sweetheart?”

Beth rolled her eyes and she gently peeled the cloth away. With one hand, she reached over and grabbed some bandages. She wrapped it around the wound and tied it as tight as possible. “I think it needs a couple of stitches.”

“You got what you need?”

She fixed him with a look. “Have you met me?”

He actually laughed a little at that and Beth moved across the room to her little box filled with all of her supplies for fixing the kids clothes when they got inevitably ripped or ruined. She lifted the top compartment up to get to the needle and thread she had specifically for this purpose (although, luckily, she hadn’t needed to use them) and when she got back to him, she ignored the quizzical look he gave her. She threaded the needle and set it aside.

After removing the bandage, Beth cleaned around the wound with an antiseptic wipe and then she sterilised the needle. She then reached down beside the bed and pulled up the bottle of bourbon she had stashed there. She took a gulp of it before handing it to Rio who drank from it too. She took another wipe and swiped over the wound. He tensed but made no verbal remarks.

“Ready?” she asked.

Rio nodded. “Just like stitching clothes.”

Beth scoffed. “Doubtful.”

But she proceeded anyway. Considering all she had to rely on were the youtube videos she’d spend hours watching after she’d come close to stitching him up one time before, it went surprisingly well. It wasn’t particularly pleasant but it thankfully didn’t need much before the wound was relatively closed and neat enough. She secured the end of the thread before snipping off the excess. She placed one of the smaller patches over the top and for good measure, wrapped a fresh bandage around it. She then grabbed her glass of water from the bedside table and poured some onto the other face cloth. She gently cleaned at the blood on his arm and once it was all gone, she helped him to scoot further down the bed and lie back.

“I can’t stay,” he protested.

He hadn’t cursed her out or snapped at her while she stitched him up. She could tell it hurt and as well as it might have gone, she was no expert and it probably could have been a little less painful so she knows, if he were in a better state, he definitely would have had a go at her. Rightfully so or not. “You look like you’re gonna pass out at any second.” 

Rio propped himself up on his elbow. “Couple of hours, yeah?”

“Why? You got somewhere to be?” He seemed to think about it for a second but eventually shook his head. She nodded, satisfied. Not that she was going to let him leave anyway. “Good.”

As he settled back again, Beth pushed everything away from him. She then laid a blanket over him. His eyes drifted shut and he rolled onto his good side, facing away from her. At first, she took some time to wash her hands before she cleared everything up. All the clean or unused supplies were put away in their places, used items in the trash, and the face cloths were thrown into the laundry basket.

It was early but she was too wide awake so she lifted the laundry basket up and headed towards the door. She swiped his hoodie along the way, figuring she might as well wash that too. Housework would be able to keep her busy until the kids woke up for school and by that point, she would be back to dealing with Rio again who would inevitably make his excuses to leave or maybe even slip out without saying a word.

“Elizabeth?” She turned back. He was still lying down but his eyes were opened just enough to see her. “Thanks.”

She nodded her head and offered up a smile before leaving the room because what could she say?

* * *

Over the hours that passed, Beth managed to get all of her housework done and the kids ready for the day and she practically forgot about Rio sleeping in her bedroom. Once Dean had come and took the kids to school, she made herself busy again. She got a head start on dinner — Ruby’s lasagna recipe — which she prepared and then left to cook later. Once that was done, she hand-washed everything just to pass the time before she got started on making some chocolate chip cookies.

She’d just pulled the second batch out when she heard Rio making his way into the room. It’s his yawning that gave him away.

“You can go back to bed,” she said, as she moved the cookies from the tray to the rack she’s placed on the side so they can cool off. “I’m sure you could use the sleep and the house will be empty for a little while longer.”

Beth was too busy moving the first batch of cookies into a container, that she didn’t hear Rio move until he was right behind her. One second she was stood there alone, the next he had his chest pressed against her back as he wrapped himself around her. At first, she froze, body going stiff but then she relaxed slowly.

“Does it hurt?” she asked, noticing the way his good arm wrapped around her waist while the other one stayed down by his side.

He hummed. “Think I might have rolled onto it at some point.”

“I could check it,” she offered.

“No.” He buried his face against her neck. “I’m good.”

Beth abandoned the cookies and shuffled away from. He refused at first but eventually let her go so she could turn to face him. He was still so close that she had to press back against the countertop. He put his good hand down on the counter beside her and looked down at her, eyebrow raised in question.

“You have to get that checked out properly,” Beth warned him. “I don’t want you showing up here in worse condition and complaining it’s infected or whatever.”

“You did a good job,” he said, not seeming the least bit worried.

She scoffed. “I bet you don’t even remember half of what happened last night.”

“It’ll be fine.”

“I’m no expert so it probably won’t be.”

Rio looked at her with amusement, his mouth already being to form into a small smile. “Quit worrying, yeah?”

She narrowed her eyes at him, arms folding over her chest. “ _ Rio _ .”

“Fine.” He rolled his eyes but the amusement was still there. “I’ll get it checked out.”

“I don’t believe you,” she told him. “You’re always so stubborn and you can never admit when you’re wrong. Or rather, when I’m right. I won’t be afraid to tell you I told you so when you come knocking on my door for more help or complaining about how you think I mess-”

He cut her off as he pressed his lips firmly to hers. Beth’s eyes grew wider as his closed. They don’t do this. This isn’t… They don’t… But she was already kissing him back before she could really convince herself that it was a bad idea and when he smiled against her lips, she pushed up onto her toes to deepen the kiss.

Rio laughed against her lips, the sound soft and quiet, and it made a warmth grow deep inside of her. He opened his eyes to look at her as his good arm wrapped around her to hold her as close to him as possible. 

“I’ll get it checked out,” he assured, breath fanning out over her lips.

She couldn’t help the small, triumphant smile that formed. “Good. For that, you can have a cookie if you like.”

He shook his head and she frowned, knowing he hadn’t eaten anything in a while. She was about to offer to make him some proper food when he nipped at her bottom lip. “Want something sweeter instead.”

Before she had a chance to respond, Rio gently nipped at her bottom lip again and planted kisses all over her cheek and down her neck. Beth let out a small laugh, half-heartedly wriggling away until he finally kissed her properly and all she could do, was melt into him.

**Author's Note:**

> It kind of got super cheesy at the end there but I couldn't resist. It feels like it's been forever since I wrote them like this? (Not sure how true that is). So I just wanted to have fun in the end :')


End file.
